My diagnosis with Parkinson's Disease in September 2009 at age 80 gave my life a new focus and challenge. Finding ways to meet this challenge helped make 2010 the best year of my life. I hope this blog will be a place where I can connect with others who also are dealing with aging and its afflictions and attractions so that we can share our "experience, strength and hope."

December 7, 2010

Dealing with high cost of Azilect

charter maldriverna
I'm on the AARP Medicarefix Preferred plan for my prescription meds. This year, my first full year on PD meds, I hit the donut hole. I switched from Sinemet to the generic Carbidopa/Levodopa, which was a big cost saving.

Unfortunately there's no generic for Azilect and, boy, is it pricey! A 90-day supply costs $938.14, a price that AARP says it negotiated down from the retail price of $988.28. So the yearly cost is $3752.58.

I've got a supply of Azilect that will last for a couple of months, so I'll continue to check out this possibility. And I'll talk with my neurologist about Azilect and it s costs when I have my next appointment at the end of this month.

2 comments:

Sorry Phebe, I replied to this earlier but it apparently disappeared into cyberspace. I looked at the price for Azilect at a reputable Canadian online pharmacy and it was lower but when I compared the year's I=in Canada with the cost here under Medicare, my supplemental plan, and the price discount for 2012 when in the donut hole, I decided the relatively small difference wasn't worth opting for Canada. Also I've saved some money by cutting my Azilect pills in half for a month. I didn't do this to save money but rather to check and see if Azilect was reacting adversely with my blood pressure meds, (I'm sure medical professionals would disapprove of my doing this.)I'm also thinking of trying something another commenter recommended -- he saves money by asking his neurologist each time he sees him for some of the doctor's sample Azilect pills.

A Healthline Best!

“John Schappi was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2009, at age 80. We love John’s blog because it’s about living life to the fullest — whether that means traveling, going to the ballet, or celebrating the friendships he’s made through Alcoholics Anonymous. He also talks about what products he uses to deal with the side effects of Parkinson’s, such as insomnia, and shares and discusses helpful blog posts and information.” -- Healthline